John Cooper Works - The
Embodiment Of Ultimate Driving Fun In The MINI

Mike Cooper and the winning
MINI Cooper from the John Cooper Challenge 2002

Munich - Premium quality, racing
know-how and MINI feeling are now even more closely united: John
Cooper Works continues success story with extended product range
and new brand identity.

The roots shared by the names MINI
and John Cooper Works reach back almost 50 years. Now a new
chapter of their success story has been opened. Under the roof
of MINI the entire product range designed for the driver with a
specifically sporting ambition will bear the John Cooper Works
label. Consequently, John Cooper Works will in future become an
integral part of the MINI brand and represent more than ever
before the epitome of ultimate driving fun for all MINI
enthusiasts.

Timo Mäkinen and Paul Easter in
the Mini Cooper at the Monte Carlo Rallye, 1965

A visible sign of this
repositioning is the newly devised brand logo which will be seen
on all future John Cooper Works products. It is the guarantee
for exceptional racing know-how, for an avid aspiration to
achieve peak efficiency as well as for a deep understanding of
the unconventional character and the outstanding quality demands
expected of MINI. All John Cooper Works performance components
are perfectly adapted to suit the MINI and are developed and
manufactured at the highest premium level. They fulfill the high
BMW Group standards with regard to reliability, workmanship and
authenticity and are therefore also subject to the warranty
conditions applicable to MINI.

MINI and John Cooper Works – an alliance
with tradition

„Repeater: Mini Cooper S winning the
Rallye Monte Carlo the second time
– in 1965 with cockpit Mäkinen/Easter“

The new constellation strengthens the
alliance between MINI brand values and racing tradition even further. It
is based on the revised 2007 version of the trademark agreements between
MINI and John Cooper Garages, which have been intensively involved in
the tuning of MINI models since the re-launch of the MINI brand. Chief
executive Mike Cooper will continue to operate as the connecting link
between the two companies in order to guarantee the mutual transfer of
racing passion and MINI feeling on a long term basis.

In doing this he is following in his
father’s footsteps. The legendary Formula 1 design engineer John Cooper
already introduced his first refined version of the Mini as early as
1961.The Mini Cooper had been born. Only two years previously a mini car
created by Alec Issigonis had revolutionised everyday transportation.
Now John Cooper had provided racing fans with a vehicle that was setting
new standards in agility and driving fun. In the following decades the
name Cooper became synonymous worldwide with the ultimate driving fun
experienced in a Mini. The fact that it was this new kind of compact car
that had inspired the two-time Formula 1 world champion to build
outstanding sports cars was convincing proof of the Mini’s qualities.
The unique driving experience that was associated with the Mini
fascinated Cooper so much that he was prompted to refine it to
perfection, a fact that excites every sports car fan to this day.

Performance at premium level: John Cooper
Works accessories

Today the brand John Cooper Works stands
for optional equipment and accessories, vehicle concepts and small-lot
production, providing MINI enthusiasts with the opportunity to live out
their passion for motor sports. Fitted with the John Cooper Works Tuning
Kit, the MINI Cooper S becomes a power machine that need not fear
comparison with well reputed sports cars. The tuning kit comprises a
sports air filter, sports silencer and modified engine electronics,
facilitates a boost in output to 141 kW/192 bhp and provides both a
visual and acoustic differentiation.

The highlights of the John Cooper Works
accessory range include the aerodynamics package, sports suspension with
red lacquered springs, a wide choice of alloys and a high performance
braking system with perforated brake discs. Moreover, a strut brace for
the engine compartment, mirror caps in a carbon finish and side
indicator surrounds – better known as side scuttles – featuring a sporty
looking grid design are available. The list of features providing the
interior with a racing car ambience includes interior trims, handbrake
lever and gear shift knob in a carbon decor. John Cooper Works sport
seats, Alcantara/Carbon sports steering wheel and gear shift indicator,
which signalises the optimum time to change gear for maximum
acceleration, are the perfect ingredients for an ultimate driving
experience.

Ready for the racetrack: The John Cooper
Works CHALLENGE

The new racing car for the MINI CHALLENGE
2008 also bears the famous label. The MINI John Cooper Works CHALLENGE
is a racing machine that is the result of decades of experience in
building racing cars – an output of 154 kW/210 bhp (temporary values)
and equipped with many components developed exclusively for the
racetrack. Drivers of the MINI CHALLENGE can redefine the limits of
their capabilities, bringing even more excitement to the already
successful club sport series. All John Cooper Works products are
designed to meet exceptionally high quality standards. Down to the
smallest detail they must be able to cope not only with the extreme
conditions prevailing on the racetrack, but also fulfil the extensive
requirements of everyday traffic in terms of functionality, design,
reliability and durability. The work of experienced engineers as well as
the countless test kilometres on the racetrack and on the road ensures
that these requirements are fulfilled. Consequently, the brands MINI and
John Cooper Works stand for the promise of quality, the significance of
which is unique in the MINI’s competitive environment.

John Cooper: Synonymous with success in
motor sports

Paddy Hopkirk and Henry Liddon at the
Monte Carlo Rallye, 1964

No other name is so closely associated
with the racing legend behind the MINI as the name John Cooper. Along
with the designer of the classic Mini, Sir Alec Issigonis, he has made a
decisive contribution in creating this unique vehicle’s character that
still remains alive to this day. The basis of this stems from a close
friendship between the two men. Long before Alec Issigonis created the
classic Mini, he fostered a close relationship with the ex racing driver
and well-known British automobile designer. Cooper was regarded as being
equally talented, ambitious and zestful. At the early age of twelve,
John Cooper, who was born in 1923 in Surrey, England, showed the public
what he was made of when he drove a racing car built by his father, with
whom he founded the Cooper Car Company in 1946. The two began building
racing cars, at first for Formula 3 racing. The Cooper Car Company soon
advanced to become the most successful supplier of professional racing
cars, taking English teams and drivers to the top of Formula 1 racing.

The mid-engine concept: A vision changes
Formula 1 racing

With their concept of a mid-engine sports
car Charles and John Cooper set a ground-breaking trend in 1955 for the
entire industry. During the years 1959 and 1960 racing cars built by
Cooper won both the constructors’ and the drivers’ title in the Formula
1 world championship featuring mid-engine vehicles. The concept was a
success, with other manufacturers following the example in the years to
come. Soon all Formula 1 series cars were built according to this
principle. Nevertheless, Cooper was still able to maintain the status of
having the most successful brand in Formula 1 racing during the fifties
and sixties. During the course of time almost every motor sports legend
had driven a Cooper, whether Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren or Jochen Rindt.

Contact with Alec Issigonis had already
been established when John Cooper was having engines built at the
British Motor Corporation (BMC) which he employed in his Formula Junior
racing cars. For this reason Cooper was familiar with the history of the
development of the Mini that Issigonis was to design for BMC. This
company had been established through the merger of British car
manufacturers, its brands including Austin, Morris, MG and Wolseley.

Early recognition of the Mini’s potential

John Cooper was completely fascinated by
the emergence of the Mini. He was convinced that the innovative vehicle
concept featuring the “wheel on each corner” principle, the short
overhangs and the overall flat appearance was exactly what he had been
searching for over many years – the basis for a superior racing machine.
As early as 1959, the year in which the Mini debuted, he sent his driver
Roy Salvadori with the first Mini Cooper, a one-off, to Monza to be put
to the test for the first time. In 1960, just six months after the
Mini’s debut, six works cars equipped by John Cooper celebrated their
first success d’estimes at the Monte Carlo Rally.

The Mini’s creator Issigonis had a rather
more low key approach than racing pioneer Cooper to the plan to upgrade
the car, which was initially designed as a spacious, cheap and
economical means of transportation for everyone, to a sports version. At
first, Issigonis turned down Cooper’s proposal to derive a GT model from
the Mini. However, Cooper was not put off by this and contacted BMC
chief George Harriman who finally agreed. With a limited production of
1000 Mini Coopers, the public’s reaction to such a vehicle concept was
to be tested. With modifications such as a higher stroke with smaller
bores, larger inlet valves, twin carbs, drilled outlet port and a
reinforced crankcase housing the first Mini Cooper delivered 55 bhp and
a top speed of around 130 km/h. Transmission ratio was geared to the
sporting potential, disc brakes on the front wheels ensured adequate
deceleration values.

The result of these efforts finally
convinced Issigonis. He immediately joined John Cooper to work on a
further step in improving performance. For the Mini Cooper S the bore
was enlarged to 70.6 mm, this being close to the limit of what was
possible. Displacement of 1071 cc remained below the limit of 1 100 cc
valid for the targeted racing class, engine speed was, however, most
impressive. The new engine delivered 70 bhp at 6 200 rpm, top engine
speed being reached at 7 200 revs. This version was also equipped with
revised brakes, braking power being servo-assisted.

1964 to 1967: Golden years at the Monte
Carlo Rallye

The foundation for sensational successes
in motor sports had been laid. It was 1962 when the Mini Cooper S caused
a stir in Monte Carlo for the first time. With Rauno Aaltonen from
Finland at the wheel the agile little car in its role as David banished
a Goliath Phalanx to the position behind him in his slipstream. Just 3
kilometres from the finish Aaltonen, who was in the lead, misjudged a
bend and finished the race with a rollover. However, he already made up
for his misfortune the following year. Aaltonen drove his Mini Cooper S
across the finishing line to become class winner and third in the
overall ranking.

And things were to get even better. In the
rally winter of 1963/1964 the Mini Cooper S was literally bursting with
power compared to its predecessor. In a spectacular race at the Monte,
Paddy Hopkirk seized first place in the overall ranking driving a Mini
with the newly designed racing engine, beating far stronger competition.
With a spectacular bang the little sprinter had become a motor sports
legend. The following year Timo Mäkinen from Finland together with his
co-pilot Paul Easter repeated the triumph at the Monte. He was the only
driver competing to master thousands of kilometres without conceiving
one single penalty point, even although up against the most adverse
conditions in the snow and ice of the French Alps. Only 35 of 237 cars
that had been on the starting field actually made it over the finishing
line at this rally, three of them bore the logo Mini Cooper S.

The following year saw the hat-trick. The
four competing Cooper teams went well ahead of the field, with drivers
Timo Mäkinen, Rauno Aaltonen and Paddy Hopkirk achieving an incredible
result. They crossed the finishing line as first, second and third.
However, this feat was followed by bitter disappointment. The three
winners were deprived of their success, as the rally commissioners
agreed that the four additional headlamps mounted in front of the
radiator grille did not comply exactly with French registration
conditions. Indeed, this decision had little effect on the spectators’
enthusiasm for the three Mini drivers. Hopkirk, Aaltonen and Mäkinen
went down in the annals of the Monte Carlo Rally as “the three
musketeers”. And just a year later Rauno Aaltonen was able to enjoy an
even more enthusiastic celebration to mark his third Monte Carlo victory
in a Mini Cooper S. This time there was nothing wrong with his vehicle.

However, the Mini was not only put on a
brilliant performance at rallies. In the sixties it was able to seize
victory many times on the road. With its overall sporting record it
became the outstanding racing car of the whole decade. In addition to
its career in racing sport, the John Cooper version of the Mini Cooper
was exceptionally successful from 1961 to 1971 in terms of sales. Even
in those days the names Mini and Cooper were internationally associated
with unmatched driving fun. Moreover, tuning kits developed by Cooper
for Mini series production vehicles were in great demand. Right from the
start no other car offered more sporting features for less money and
more driving fun within a confined space.

With the Mini Mike Cooper continued his
father’s work

The traditional alliance between Mini and
John Cooper also became a crucial factor for the new version of the
small car. In 1999 Mike Cooper was invited by the BMW Group to
incorporate the know-how of the family business enterprise, which now
operates as John Cooper Garages, into the project MINI. Mike Cooper
continued his father’s work with the same fervidness. Like John Cooper
had once done, he pondered on a performance-enhanced version long before
the launching of the MINI in the year 2001. And even then it was his
dream to get MINI back on the racetrack. He started by organising the
John Cooper Challenge for performance-enhanced series production
vehicles in England – with the starting field fully booked within a very
short time.

John Cooper was not able to witness the
market launch of the modern MINI. He died in the year 2000 at the age of
77. The name John Cooper Garages remained. Today it stands, and will in
future stand, for a company with a long-standing tradition which has
continued to convince over three generations through the use of
outstanding know-how and highest quality awareness in the field of auto
tuning, as well as being synonymous with exceptional personalities who,
for decades, have set milestones in motor sports.